Last year, it was officially announced that the era of Batfleck was over, and that Robert Pattinson would be playing the next big screen version of Batman. With this change came many questions, of course, with one of the most significant being in regard to what the new version of the Caped Crusader will look like. Well, now that The Batman is in production, director Matt Reeves has delivered a first look!
It’s finally here, folks. In this video, we have Robert Pattinson suited up as Gotham City’s protector, and while the red lighting (which is giving off some major Batman Beyond vibes) makes it hard to notice a lot of specific details, this Batsuit definitely looks different from the hero’s past cinematic costumes. Matt Reeves revealed on Twitter, this video was shot by The Batman’s cinematographer Greig Fraser and scored by the movie’s composer Michael Giacchino.
Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit seems to be going for an armored look, similar to the one Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne wore in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. What I find most interesting is that rather than simply being a logo designed on the costume, the Bat-insignia looks like it serves as a weapon that can be removed from the chest plate and used as a Batarang.
As for the cowl, it looks like it was hastily assembled, specifically with the rough leather marks around the eyes that are noticeable when you brighten the screen. Considering that The Batman follows Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne while he’s still early into his crimefighting career, it makes sense that his costume wouldn’t be as refined compared to what he’d be wearing as a seasoned veteran.
Needless to say that the dim lighting obscures a lot of the Batsuit, so ideally before The Batman concludes principal photography later this year, we’ll get an official detailed look at Robert Pattinson’s threads. If not, that likely means we’ll have to wait until The Batman drops its first trailer to take in the full ensemble. Overall though, this Batsuit is very much reminiscent of what Batman wore in the Arkham video games.
While The Batman was initially conceived as a platform for Ben Affleck’s Batman to take center stage, by the beginning of 2019, Affleck announced that he would not reprise the Caped Crusader. By the end of the following May, Robert Pattinson was cast as Affleck’s successor, beating out Nicholas Hoult for the role.
No specific plot details about The Batman have been revealed yet, but Matt Reeves, who also co-wrote the script with Mattson Tomlin, has said it will feature an “almost noir-driven, detective version” of the eponymous protagonist. It’s also been rumored that the movie is based off The Long Halloween storyline, which saw Batman tracking a serial killer in Gotham City for a year.
Joining Robert Pattinson in The Batman’s cast are Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as Riddler, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson and Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál.
The Batman swoops into theaters on June 25, 2021. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on its progression, and learn what other DC movies are on the way with our handy guide.
